[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been revealed that 70% of Gyeonggi Province city and county council members and heads of public institutions under the province increased their assets compared to last year. The average assets per person amounted to 972.2 million KRW, an increase of 58.01 million KRW from the previous year.
The Gyeonggi Province Public Officials Ethics Committee (Chairperson Lee Mi-sook) disclosed on the 26th in the Gyeonggi Province Gazette the asset declarations of 458 individuals, including 12 heads of public institutions and 446 city and county council members, who are subject to regular asset disclosure under Article 10 (Disclosure of Registered Assets) of the Public Officials Ethics Act.
The reported details are based on December 31, 2019, and include the assets of the public officials themselves, their spouses, parents, and direct descendants.
According to the report, the average assets per person among the 458 individuals were 972.2 million KRW. This is an increase of 58.01 million KRW compared to the previous year's average (914.19 million KRW).
Among them, 324 individuals (71%) who reported an increase in assets saw an average rise of 132.98 million KRW, while 134 individuals (29%) who reported a decrease saw an average reduction of 171.28 million KRW. The main reasons cited for the increase were debt reduction and an increase in official land prices compared to the previous year.
The public official with the highest total assets was Council Member Kim Ji-hoon of Namyangju City Council, with declared assets of 11.27717 billion KRW, continuing from last year. The official with the largest increase in declared assets was Council Member Lee Seong-woo of Anyang City Council, with an increase of 1.95303 billion KRW.
The public official with the lowest total assets was Council Member Park Tae-won of Suwon City Council, with negative assets of 681.05 million KRW. The official with the largest decrease in assets compared to last year was Council Member Kwak Nae-kyung of Bucheon City Council, whose declared assets decreased by 2.18229 billion KRW.
Among public institution heads in the province, Lee Han-joo, President of the Gyeonggi Research Institute, declared assets of 5.05622 billion KRW, ranking as the wealthiest as in the previous year. The public institution head with the largest increase in assets was Moon Jin-young, CEO of the Gyeonggi Job Foundation, with an increase of 604.68 million KRW.
The Gyeonggi Public Officials Ethics Committee plans to complete the review of asset changes for those who disclosed assets by the end of June. If false or insincere declarations are found during the asset review, measures such as warnings, corrective actions, fines, dismissal, or disciplinary requests will be taken.
Furthermore, to meet the heightened public expectations for public ethics, the committee will strengthen the review process regarding the acquisition process, sources of funds, and usage of funds for cases where assets have increased or decreased excessively relative to income.
In particular, the committee will actively investigate whether there are any allegations of illicit asset accumulation related to official duties or violations of other laws, and if such facts are discovered, they will notify the relevant authorities.
A representative of the Gyeonggi Public Officials Ethics Committee emphasized, "We will continue to strictly operate the asset registration and review system to realize a trustworthy public service and establish a clean public culture."
Meanwhile, the Government Public Officials Ethics Committee disclosed on the 26th in the official gazette the asset registration details of 175 public officials under its jurisdiction, including the Governor and Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, provincial assembly members, and mayors and county heads.
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